Philemon

About Philemon

Philemon is the shortest of Paul's letters, a personal note asking a Christian slave owner to welcome back Onesimus, a runaway slave who had become a believer. Paul asks Philemon to receive him no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother, and even offers to pay whatever Onesimus owes. It is a small window into how the gospel quietly reorders human relationships from the inside out.

Written by

Paul wrote this letter, with Timothy alongside him, and almost no one in any era has doubted it.

When

Paul wrote it from prison, most likely in Rome around AD 60-62, though a few scholars suggest an earlier imprisonment in Ephesus in the mid-50s.

Themes

• Forgiveness and reconciliation
• Brotherhood in Christ
• Love over obligation
• The gospel changing relationships

Key verses

• Philemon 1:15-16For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
• Philemon 1:17-18So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.